Animal lovers who want to fly with their pets finally have an option beyond checking their furry friends like baggage. Companion Air, a start-up set to take its first flight early this year, is the first airline created specifically for pets and their guardians.

Pets fly in secure travel kennels in a special pet cabin area of the plane, adjacent to the human passenger seating. Barring turbulence and other in-seat restrictions, pets can visit the human passenger section, one at a time. Humans can visit their pets in the pet section anytime.

A roundtrip "pampered comfort" fare -- 14-day advance purchase, departure may "flex" by a day -- for one human passenger and one pet roundtrip between New York and Washington, DC, cost around $500. Compared with the price of transporting a human and a large animal on a major airline -- Northwest Airlines charges $299 each way for a large animal, plus the human fare -- Companion Air is downright reasonable.

For more information on fares, services and schedules, visit: www.CompanionAir.com